The Struggle of the Hand of the King

Where is His Majesty?

"Your Lord Hand, His Majesty is currently dining with Sir Davos."

Hearing the guard's words, Alester's mood was even more gloomy than the sky above. As the dignified Hand of the King, Stannis had barely dined with him more than a few times, while Davos, a commoner from Flea Bottom, always had the opportunity to dine with Stannis, which made him feel truly unbalanced.

Even though the Queen came from her own family, why couldn't the House Florent achieve the same status as the House Lannister in Robert's court?

Now that Stannis has held the Iron Throne for over half a year, the selection of the Kingsguard should have been finalized by now, and the House Florent could take the opportunity to place a few people into the ranks.

But Stannis kept postponing, saying that his own guards were enough. This was clearly a sign of distancing himself from the House Florent!

However, Alester soon sighed. Florent and Stannis had been married for over ten years, only to have a daughter who was born with a disease.

If he could have had a healthy son, Stannis probably wouldn't have been so distant from Selyse.

Of course, there were also his own reasons. Who could have imagined that Jon would lead the Northern Army, descending from the sky like riding a dragon, directly from the Riverlands, conquering King's Landing's Landing and reversing the tide of war?

If I had been a little more composed back then, I wouldn't have aroused Stannis's suspicion.

Or perhaps if he had remained calmer when faced with the sudden arrival of the Tyrell army while he was in the Kingswood, giving Stannis some time to siege the city, the outcome would have been different.

Furthermore, and most importantly, there was his nephew Orell, who was incredibly foolish. He sailed the fleet into the narrow Blackwater without any prior reconnaissance. In short, the House Florent really squandered a winning hand.

They paid a bloody price but did not reap the rewards they deserved; instead, Jon, the bastard son, reaped the most delicious fruits.

As the head of the House Florent, Alester now has to find a way to change this situation.

Soon, he entered the Maegor's Holdfast under the guidance of his guards.

Maegor's Holdfast, Stannis was discussing Jon's wedding with Davos. After all, the idea of the groom's mother-in-law being kidnapped by villains was simply too shocking.

Davos sat to Stannis's left, a salt-baked snail on his plate. Davos really didn't like it; to him, a large pork chop or venison chop would have been far more satisfying.

Even dried salted fish will do.

Stannis, however, was in a good mood and was able to enjoy it even more.

He ate a sip of wine and a bite of snail meat, thoroughly enjoying the meal.

Of course, what pleased him most was not the food on his plate, but the events that occurred at Jon's wedding.

Jon's attack on the Westerlands was faster than he had anticipated, thus failing to achieve his goal of weakening Tyrell.

Since the Westerlands failed to deplete Tyrell, it seems that only the Iron Islands remain in the surrounding area.

However, getting them to go to the Iron Islands became a problem.

As a result, Euron of the Iron Islands dared to abduct Lady Mace in Highgarden. Now, without Stannis's intervention, the Tyrell would be howling and rushing towards the Iron Islands.

"Davos, I intend to personally lead the army to attack Balon Greyjoy," Stannis said, taking a sip of his drink and revealing his thoughts to Davos, his most trusted advisor.

Davos winked at the young waiter behind Stannis, who looked to be only about eight years old.

The waiter was also named Stannis, and this Little Stannis was Davos's youngest son.

He had seven sons in total. Four of his adult sons died in the Battle of the Blackwater, leaving him with three.

The other two, who were slightly older, were sent to the army for training, while the youngest was taken in and mentored by Stannis, which was an extremely high honor for a subject.

Little Stannis refilled Stannis's glass. Davos put down his knife and fork and said, "Your Majesty, you once led the Royal Fleet to victory against the Iron Islands Fleet. I believe you will succeed. Have you decided who you will leave to guard King's Landing?"

Upon hearing Davos's words, the excitement in Stannis's blue eyes quickly faded, and he said somewhat sullenly, "Davos, you've changed. If it were before, if you didn't want me to do something, you would definitely have said it to my face."

Davos, whose thoughts had been seen through by Stannis, smiled sheepishly.

Originally, there were three Baratheon brothers: Robert was stationed in King's Landing, Stannis suppressed Dragonstone, and Renly inherited Stormlands.

But now all three positions have fallen to Stannis, and he doesn't have many trustworthy people around him.

Stannis obtained the Iron Throne, but the Iron Throne also completely bound him.

"You're right, I can't find anyone to watch over King's Landing for me, but I can't let Jon fight all the battles, can I? If that's the case, then this throne really is something he gave me out of charity." Stannis's tone grew increasingly somber.

"Your Majesty," Davos said, "That's a bit of an exaggeration. When King Robert rebelled, King's Landing was Tywin Tywin. Did Robert give King Robert his crown as a handout? Besides, if our fleet hadn't drawn Tyrion's attention and exhausted his forces Battle of King's Landing, how could Jon King's Landing so easily?" Davos remained unmoved by the snails on his plate, just as his advice to Stannis seemed rather weak.

King's Landing's Landing was well aware of Jon's series of victories.

Killing Joffrey and forcing the Lion-and-Flower Coalition to retreat, going alone to Riverrun to persuade Robb to relinquish his title of king, and conquering the Westerlands Casterly Rock in three months—this series of accolades would be well-deserved if placed on a true king, but it is somewhat too dazzling to place them all on a subject.

Stannis is a very proud person. If he doesn't achieve any significant victories, he will not only live in Robert's shadow, but also under the cheers and praise of others.

This was something Stannis could not accept under any circumstances. He took another sip of wine and continued, "Jon, will he always be loyal to me?"

"Of course, Your Majesty," Davos quickly replied. "Jon didn't even support Robb's claim to the throne, but chose to travel thousands of miles to support you. He is certainly loyal."

"That's because of Eddard Stark!" Stannis said in a low voice, frowning.

Little Stannis. wanted to pour him another drink, but Davos shooed him away with a look.

"Your Majesty, is it because of the Dragon Egg eggs?" Davos asked cautiously. He sensed Stannis's displeasure, and Stannis was now just as angry as when he learned that Robert had given Storm's End to Renly, leaving him to guard the nearly worthless Dragonstone.

"Melisandre told me that she might be able to help hatch the dragon from the stone—" Stannis began.

"But Your Majesty, those Dragon Egg... those Dragon Egg were part of Margaery's dowry. Besides, how could a stone possibly hatch a dragon? How could we—"

"That's not what I'm concerned about! Jon said he received his reward based on his military achievements, and I think he's just too arrogant. Maybe he'll be fine for a few years, but once he's grown up and his control over the Westerlands deepens, and his child is born, I really can't imagine what he'll do. By the time Jon reaches my age, I'll be too old. Do you think anyone in the Seven Kingdoms will be able to keep him in check?" Stannis finally voiced his concerns.

The average lifespan of the nobles of the Seven Kingdoms is only fifty or sixty years old. Stannis is already over thirty, while Jon is only sixteen.

Even if Selyse were to give birth to a son for him now, the timeframe would be a bit rushed.

Perhaps he could pass the throne to Robert's bastard son, but as a man, who would willingly hand over the throne they've worked so hard for to someone else's bloodline?!

Even Stannis realized just how terrifying Jon's potential was.

In the North, Jon avenged Eddard and rescued his two daughters; in the South, Jon single-handedly rescued Alerie.

The Stark and Tyrell have become his staunch allies, which was completely outside Stannis's plans.

Just as the emperor and his minister remained silent, a voice announced from outside, "Hand of the King, Alester Florent, has arrived."

Upon seeing Alester arrive, Davos moved his chair and rose to greet him, but Stannis continued dismembering a snail. "Your Majesty," Alester said respectfully as he approached Stannis.

"Please sit down."

Stannis casually remarked, and Little Stannis, standing nearby, said, "Pour tea for Alester."

As the Hand of the King, Alester could naturally guess what was troubling Stannis.

He carefully considered his words before speaking, "Your Majesty, I wish to be able to conquer the Iron Islands for you."

This was precisely the opportunity he was fighting for for the House Florent. If they could pacify the Iron Islands, they could increase the family's standing in Stannis's eyes and make up for their past mistakes.

However, Stannis did not stop what he was doing, while Davos listened attentively.

Davos suddenly realized that this seemed like a good choice: letting Alester take command would prevent King's Landing's Landing from being left unattended, and would also avoid Stannis's fears that Jon's achievements and power would increase further.

He then glanced at Stannis, Stannis reached for the cup, only to find it empty.

How many troops are you planning to bring?

"We don't need to expend a single soldier on His Majesty's part; all we need are the armies of the Westerlands and Highgarden," Alester said hastily.

"Hmph, do you think the Tyrell are brainless?" Stannis sneered without any attempt to hide his sarcasm.

Alester blushed deeply, then added after a moment's thought, "Brightwater Keep can still recruit over a thousand soldiers, and there are also some ships."

Stannis thought about it and concluded that there really weren't any suitable options at the moment.

"I'll give you another five thousand troops, and the remaining thirty-odd ships will all be yours. If you can't conquer the Iron Islands, you can go back and retire."